Editor: Joe Bryant. Game Recap Contributors: Mike Anderson, Michael Brown, Chris Burtt, J.D. Caldwell, David Dodds, Bobby Elder, Jim Enochs, Joel Faulhaber, Michael Flynn, Kevin Goldblum, Clayton Gray, Bob Harris, Fred Hebert, Jesse Hilsenrad, Drew Kendall, Jeff Lewis, Joey Matusek, Justin Oliver, Steve Prosapio, David Shick, Cody Smith, Scott Smith, Jeffrey Stout. Carolina 14 at Green Bay 17 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Carolina Panthers: Save for a pair of fumbles, Rodney Peete played well enough to win his fourth straight game. Of course, the fumbles were huge. Still, if you are waiting for Chris Weinke to take over after this loss, it's not going to happen. This is Rodney Peete's team. Lamar Smith is scoring TDs simply because this offense is geared that way. His per carry average today was 3.0. That's not going to keep a healthy DeShaun Foster on the bench. If you're a Smith owner, enjoy the ride while it lasts. Muhsin Muhammad was sorely missed as Steve Smith was the only viable receiver. Even Wesley Walls was nonexistent in the passing game. Speaking of Smith, he's a player. You get the feeling he could break away every time he touches the ball. New PK Shayne Graham missed a chip shot 24-yard FG at game's end. Could Carolina be looking for their fourth kicker of the season? Green Bay Packers: Brett Favre is still the most exciting QB in the game. His will to win is unsurpassed. His supporting cast today was far from stellar, yet he was still able to get enough offense to win the game. Ahman Green had decent numbers but was noticeably not at full speed for this contest. Even at less than 100%, Green only lost a few touches to Najeh Davenport so don't worry about a time-share occurring here. Donald Driver picked up the slack for a missing Javon Walker and an in-and-out Terry Glenn. It looks like the Packers are willing to rely upon the young Driver for the big play. He delivered. Head Coach Mike Sherman will probably see a fine for bumping a ref. The Bubba Franks to Donald Driver TD was originally ruled an illegal forward pass (the official incorrectly believed Favre threw forward to Franks on the play). While arguing (actually while forcefully removing his headset), the usually reserved Sherman brushed against the official. It was pretty cool to see a guy like Sherman get so heated. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW Carolina Panthers QB - Rodney Peete (10/24 for 202 yards / no TDs / no INTs) relied heavily upon Steve Smith and obviously missed Muhsin Muhammad's presence. Peete also lost a pair of fumbles that were absolute killers as both were in Green Bay territory. 200 yards won't carry your FF team won't carry your team though. In fairness, Peete was pressure often by the Packers defensive line. Also, he did suffer from a few drops but not any more than would normally occur in a game. RB - Lamar Smith (22 for 66 / 2 TDs / 1 rec for 7) had a few quality runs and several runs for little or no gains. If the hole was there, Smith found it. If the hole was not there, Smith went down. There were times that the hole was gaping, but Smith seemed to lack the extra gear to take it the distance. When DeShaun Foster returns, this will likely become more evident. Although you absolutely can't discount Smith's nose for the endzone. Dee Brown (9 for 52) spelled Smith at times and looked to be quicker to the hole than did Smith. Brown did let the ball hit the carpet once. Once Foster returns, Brown will see little action. Brad Hoover (3 for 22 / 1 rec for 31) had a couple of big surprise runs and the one deep catch, but he's not going to be a consistent threat for any fantasy team. He did have back-to-back plays to set up the Panthers' 2nd TD. WR - Steve Smith (5 for 116) was Carolina's only real receiving threat and set up his team's 1st score with a 61-yard reception (and looked really good doing it). This guy is exciting with the ball and is a player worth going after right now if you're in a dynasty league. Muhsin Muhammad was out with a bad hamstring. He traveled to the game but didn't dress. Karl Hankton (1 for 31) was targeted at least a couple times (catching one and dropping one). On the reception, he was wide open. Isaac Byrd showed up on the screen twice. That's about all there is to tell here. TE - Wesley Walls had a few targets, but I never saw him get open. Never. All game long. He didn't catch a pass. Kris Mangum (2 for 17) had more opportunities than Walls but doesn't have the talent do much with his chances. He had at least one drop. Pass Defense - The Panthers pass defense had a very good day except for two plays. First, they completely blew the Bubba Franks TD pass and left Driver wide open. Second, they let Driver get loose while Favre was scrambling. Driver scored on both plays. The Carolina defensive line had an excellent day pressuring Favre. This unit will be tough to handle all season long. DT Kris Jenkins took advantage of single-teaming and collected a pair of sacks. On one, he grabbed only the back of Favre's jersey but that was enough (a very impressive display of strength). At LB, Dan Morgan was all over the field, had a sack on a blitz, and intercepted a tipped ball. This just in...Morgan is good. Rush Defense - The Panthers generally played the run well, but they did leave a few running lanes open at times. Ahman Green was able to peel off 6 to 8 yards on a few occasions. The longest run allowed was 15 yards. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/** Green Bay Packers QB: Brett Favre (18/32 for 200 / 1 TD / 1 INT) is fun to watch. Obviously, he didn't have spectacular numbers, but that was due in large part to an excellent Carolina pass defense. What Favre did (as he usually does) was make enough plays for Green Bay to pull out the win. Favre spread out his throws (seven different receivers caught a pass). RB: Ahman Green (17 for 73 / 1 rec for 8) was a bit hobbled but was still able to slice the Carolina defense for solid yardage at a 4.3 ypc clip. That said, he seemed to lack his normal explosiveness. Early in the game, it looked like he would be spelled often by Davenport, but Green rarely came out in the 2nd half. Najeh Davenport (3 for 12 / 1 rec for 2) had three of his touches on the Packers 3rd possession. Thereafter, he saw the ball only once more. He had a few mistakes and is obviously still learning the game. He looks to be a player with a very promising future, but right now the team's running game is all about Ahman Green. WR: Donald Driver (5 for 97 / 2 TDs / 1 run for 15) was the player of the game for Green Bay. While watching the game, it seemed like he was in on every important play for the Packers. Obviously catching both TDs will create that impression. Also, Driver was open on another play but Favre didn't see him (threw incomplete to Ferguson). Robert Ferguson (5 for 58) played the role of possession WR fairly well but did have at least one drop. Not a bad outing, but you'd like to see more production with Walker and Glenn out of the game. Karsten Bailey (2 for 16). There's nothing to add here. Terry Glenn (1 for 17) didn't start but did try to play. He couldn't make it through the first half as the headaches started up again. Fortunately for him, the Packers pulled out the win. He's not doing a lot to answer the durability concerns that dog him. Javon Walker was out with a quad injury. TE: Bubba Franks (4 for 33) had at least a couple of drops and could have had a really good day. His TD pass to Driver looked pretty good. I didn't know he was left-handed. Pass Defense: It's hard to not look good when your opposition has but one quality WR. Still, the Packers had a quality outing defending the pass. They absolutely shut out Wesley Walls, and that's no small feat. The defensive line had a great game rushing Rodney Peete and got to him four times (DT Cletidus Hunt collected a pair of sacks himself). This pressure was accomplished without Vonnie Holliday (out with a torn pectoral) and Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila (out trying to spell his name...actually with a rib injury). Rush Defense: At times, the Panthers offensive line opened massive holes for Lamar Smith and Dee Brown. If either back had great skills, the Packers would have been in serious trouble. LB Hardy Nickerson led Green Bay in tackles, but at times played very poorly taking horrible angles to the ball and making incorrect decisions against the run. DT Gilbert Brown stuffed the run at times, but if the play is away from him he's not going to run it down.